to her cheeks. She could see there was no wedding band on his hand but, as she knew first-hand, the lack of a ring on a man’s finger did not bring any certainty there was no wife. It was out of character for her to be so direct but nothing about the situation was normal.
‘No, I’m not married, Claudia, and the rest of my family...well, they’re back in the UK...’ Patrick’s words trailed off. He wasn’t about to tell Claudia about his life, his past or his loss. After twelve years it was still raw at times but now focusing on Claudia removed his desire to give any consideration to his own pain. He had to be in the moment for the woman who needed him. He couldn’t think about what had happened all those years ago or the price he still paid every day.
He had to let something go.
And that had to be the past—for the time being. But he knew that it would come back to him. It always did.
‘Do you want children one day? I guess if you’ve done this before, bringing them into the world would make you want a brood or run the other way,’ she cut in again. As she felt the warmth in her face subside she was slightly relieved on that front but the need for the banter continued. Any distraction would do.
He felt a muscle in his jaw twitch. She was unwittingly making it very hard to stay in the moment. ‘No,’ he said, not wanting to go into any detail. The answer was not that he didn’t like children; in fact it ran far deeper than that. Children meant family and he never planned on being part of a family again. The pain still lingered, twelve years after he had been forced to walk away from his own.
‘So am I right—you don’t want to take your job home?’
‘You’re full of questions, aren’t you?’
Claudia didn’t answer. She felt the next contraction building and as it rolled in she couldn’t say anything. She dropped her head to her chest and took in shallow breaths.
Without prompting, Patrick’s hands gently massaged her back. Instinctively, he knew what was happening and he kept up the physical therapy until it passed. And then a few moments longer.
She felt his hands linger, then shook herself back to reality. He was a doctor doing his job. Nothing more.
‘Why did you move to LA?’ she piped up, then bit her lip as she realised it was none of her business and she had no clue what had driven her to ask him such personal questions. She felt as if the pain had taken over her mind. She was acting like a different person, someone who suddenly wanted to know everything about Patrick. Perhaps it was to distract herself. Perhaps not. But she knew the moment the words fell from her mouth that she had overstepped the boundaries of polite conversation. ‘Please forget I asked. Blame it on the stress. I really am exhibiting the worst manners today. I’ve asked the most improper questions and ruined your jacket...’
‘Forgiven for both.’ Patrick hesitated. ‘I guess I’m just a private person, Claudia. I’m happy to answer any medical questions, anything at all, but I’d prefer to leave the rest alone. Suffice to say, my family and I didn’t see eye to eye about something that happened and this opportunity came up. So I left London and headed here.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ Claudia suddenly felt even more embarrassed that she had asked but she also felt a little sad for him. She barely knew the man but, with the way he was taking care of her, she suddenly felt that she wanted to be on his side in a situation she knew nothing about.
Patrick knew it sounded as if they had parted ways on something insignificant. He thought it was best to leave it at that. There was no need to mention that he’d made the opportunity to allow him to move to the US. It was something he’d had to do to help everyone with their grief. To not be there, reminding them every day of what had happened.
It was not the time or place to tell a woman he had just met that his sister had died.
And he had taken the blame for her death.
An unspoken agreement not to revisit the conversation about his family was made in the awkward silence by both of them.
‘I’ll need to examine you in a few minutes and assess whether you have begun to dilate and, if you have, if the first baby is visible,’ he told her as he pulled himself from the past back to where he belonged.
Suddenly the elevator lights began to flicker. Claudia bit her lip nervously. She felt her chin begin to quiver but was powerless to stop it. All questions disappeared. She didn’t want anything from Patrick other than reassurance that her babies would survive.
Patrick drew a deep breath but managed to keep his body language in check. If they lost the lights, then he could not convince himself there would be a good outcome but he would never let Claudia know that. He even refused to admit it to himself.
‘I need to do the exam while we still have some lights to work with; if we lose them it will be challenging as I’ll have to work by feel alone. But, whatever happens, I’m here for you and your babies, Claudia, and together we’ll all get throughout this,’ Patrick told her with a firmness and urgency that did not disguise the seriousness of the situation, but he also managed to make her feel secure in the knowledge that he was with her all the way. He filled his lungs with the warm air that surrounded them, determined he would do his damnedest to make his prayers a reality.
She nodded her consent as the contraction began to subside, along with her uncontrollable need to push.
‘Breathe slowly and deeply,’ he said while he stroked her arm and waited for the contraction to pass before he began his examination. Twins made the birth so much more complicated, along with his lack of equipment and the risk of losing the lights.
‘Have you delivered many babies?’
‘Yes, I’ve delivered many babies, Claudia, but never in an elevator and not for...’
The elevator phone rang and stopped Patrick from explaining how long it had been since his last delivery. Instinctively, he answered the phone. ‘Yes?’
‘This is the utilities manager. We’re working to have you out as soon as possible but it may be another twenty minutes to half an hour. Our only rostered technician is across town. How’s the young woman?’
‘She’s in labour.’
‘Hell... Okay, that’s gonna be brutal on her.’ The man’s knee-jerk reaction was loud. ‘I’ll put the tech to get here ASAP or get an off-duty one over there stat. We’ve already got an ambulance en route.’
‘That would be advisable,’ Patrick responded in an even tone, not wanting to add to Claudia’s building distress. ‘I’m about to assess her progress but you need to ensure there are two ambulances waiting when your technician gets us out. We’re dealing with the birth of two premature infants so ensure the paramedics are despatched with humidicribs and you have an obstetrician standing by with a birthing kit including cord clamps and Syntocinon.’ Then he lowered his voice and added, ‘And instruct them to bring plasma. There’s always the slight risk of a postpartum haemorrhage.’ With that he hung up the phone to let the team outside do their best to get medical help to them as soon as possible.
He immediately turned his attention back to Claudia, who lay against the elevator wall with small beads of perspiration building on her brow and the very palpable fear of what lay ahead written on her face.
‘I don’t want my babies to die.’
‘Claudia, you need to listen to me,’ he began with gentleness in his voice along with a reassuring firmness. ‘We are going to get through this. Your babies will be fine but you need to help me.’
Claudia couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t lift her gaze from her stomach and the babies inside of her. Fear surged through her veins. It was real. They weren’t getting out of the elevator. No one was coming to rescue them. No one was going to take her to the hospital. The harsh reality hit her. Her babies would be born inside the metal walls that surrounded them.
And they might not survive.
‘I